AN: This is another first time fic for me.(: I really love the show The Walking Dead and I've had this idea for a while now! Where it's going, as of now, is even a mystery to me. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: The only character that belongs to me is Allison!
Allison was sitting down on the edge of the lake, watching the crystal water ripple and make waves up against the rocks. Her curly brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail with her bangs pushed behind her ears. She was wearing one of Shane's flannel shirts with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow and a pair jeans she had managed to grab before she ran. After helping Andrea, Carol, and Amy with the laundry it was her favorite place to relax. It was still hard for her to understand why she had abandoned her search for his sister and her father, but she knew if she hadn't, she wouldn't be alive right now.
From the corner of her eye she saw Shane talking quietly with Lori, his hand on her shoulder. Things between her and Shane had gotten rough. They could barely even be in the same tent together anymore. She slid her shoes back on before started to make her way up the hill.
Shane looked over his shoulder, frowning when he saw Allison headed back toward camp. "Hey, I'll talk to you later, alright?" He said, turning away from Lori. "I gotta talk to her."
"Of course you do." Lori rolled her eyes. "I'm heading back to camp, I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah.." Shane nodded, running a hand through his hair. He hated the way things had started to fall through with Ali. He cared about her more than he was willing to admit, but then there was Lori. He'd always loved Lori, but knew she would always belong to Rick. "Allison!" He shouted.
Allison stopped on her way up the hill, turning around to face him. "What is it?" She placed a hand on her hip.
He slid his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. "You're beautiful, you know that?"
"And you're a dick!" She shoved him away, starting to walk off. Did he honestly believe she was that stupid?
"Wait!" He grabbed her gently by the arm. "Can't we talk?"
"Shane, I don't wanna talk right now.." Allison shook her head. Daryl had been right, why didn't she ever listen to him? Even as a kid, he always knew best. She knew he could be an asshole, but no one gave him enough credit. "I need to see if Andrea needs my help."
"Why are you so pissed me at me?" He asked, his thumb running along the edge of her jaw.
"You've changed, Shane." Allison slapped his hand away. She'd changed too. They both had become stronger individuals, burying their emotions beneath the surface the do the things around the camp that needed to be taken care of.
"You're not a walk in the park either, sweetheart." Shane sighed, crossing his arms.
She looked down at her dirty, scuffed up tennis shoes. "I'll see you tonight, babe." She said quietly, kissing his cheek.
He blinked, not expecting that reaction. He expected her to kick him, punch him, slap, cry or anything, but not that. He nodded.
She looked down at her feet again, feeling angry tears well up in her eyes. She made her way up the hill, the tears finally sliding down her cheeks.
"Are you honestly crying over that fucker?" Daryl asked from behind her. He laughed quietly when he saw her jump.
"What are you doing down here?" She wiped her eyes, not looking up at him. She couldn't help but laugh when he held up a fresh squirrel. "You're such a freak, Dixon."
"You seen Merle?" He asked, ignoring her jab.
"Not lately. He's probably hunting.." She shrugged.
"What'd he do this time? Say the word and I'll beat his ass." He slung his crossbow around his shoulder.
"It's nothing, Daryl." Allison unbuttoned the long sleeved flannel shirt, revealing a lavender tank top underneath. Since the camp had come together, Shane and Daryl had clashed from the beginning.
Shane relished in position of authority, trying to take on the world by himself. That was what she saw in him, someone strong, Superman. He was different from the other guys she had grown up with like Merle and Daryl. She had moved from New York to backwoods Georgia when she was seven years old. Her mother died after battling breast cancer for five years.
"Don't lie to me, girl." He turned, spitting on the ground. He was the first person who talked to her when she the new girl. He beat up the boys who were picking on her and they clicked instantly. He was always watching out for her, taking up for her. No one knew the side of Daryl she did. He even played nanny for her the first time she got drunk.
"Why is it you always think I'm lying?" She looked up into Daryl's blue eyes, frowning.
"You let the son of a bitch fuck with your head, Al!" Daryl said firmly, his short temper starting to come through. "He ain't worth anything anyway."
"What do you even know about him?" She asked, letting out a defeated sigh.
"I ain't gotta know anything. I'm done letting him treat you like shit." He shouted.
"This is my life Daryl. For once let me make my own mistakes!" She tied the shirt around her waist.
"Is there a problem here?" Allison turned upon hearing Dale's voice from behind them.
"No, Dale. None at all." She glanced over toward Daryl. "Thanks for asking." She said before making her way back up to camp.
Allison was sitting on the ground in front of the fire, her head resting back against Daryl's legs. Shane was nowhere to be seen, but she knew where he was. It wasn't the first time him and Lori had come up missing this time of night, but no one said anything. It was just so nice to be around people who had become family.
"Hey, you a'ight?" Daryl asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Yeah, fine." Allison said quietly.
"Ya don't sound alright, Ali. Goddamnit, I'm worried." Daryl sighed, everyone around them going quiet.
"Not here, alright?" She stood up, sighing. "I have to piss." She brushed the dust off her jeans, heading towards the camper.
Amy got up, following after her. "Allison!"
"What?" She turned around to face her friend. "I really have to pee." Amy, Andrea, Carol, and Jacqui had all taken to Allison pretty quick, the only she didn't along with was Lori. For good reason.
"What's wrong?" Amy frowned. "And don't say nothing, I know better than that."
Allison leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. "It's just.. Stuff with Shane." She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Where is he?" Amy asked. She realized quickly she already knew the answer. "Oh.."
"Yeah.." Allison said, starting to choke up. It was so much easier for her to just be angry than it was for her to truly hurt. They'd been doomed from the start. They both believed and so did everyone else.
"Well, hey.. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here." Amy gave her a small smile, wrapping her arms around her.
"Thanks." Allison was glad she had someone she could talk to. In a situation like this, it was a rare thing. She closed the door behind her, sliding down into the floor. The tears flooded down her cheeks for the second time that day, but this time, she poured all her anger and hurt into it. Hell, sometimes there's nothin' else ya can do. But men don't cry. She heard Daryl's voice in her mind; she couldn't help but smile through the pain.
Shane zipped up his pants, watching as Lori finished getting dressed. He pulled her body to him, his hands sliding into her hair. "You're beautiful.." He whispered, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"You tell me all the time.." Lori laughed quietly, pecking his lips. "Now, I guess you better get back to robbing the cradle."
"Yeah, guess so." Shane said, starting to button his shirt. The guilt for hurting Allison was finally starting to hit him. Being with Lori gave him a feeling of satisfaction he didn't find with Allison. With Lori, he felt like he had a real family. With her, the resentment he had for his best friend dwindled but when he was with Allison there was the certainty of a future if they tried. It was hard to make things work when raw emotions always stayed buried beneath the surface. One slip could get anyone hurt or even killed.
"You probably should go. I think I'll just go to bed." Lori sat down on the small pallet of blankets that took the place of a bed. "Send Carl in here, please?"
Shane nodded, leaving the tent. From a short distance, he could still the smoke and embers from the fire. He made his way up toward the fire, looking around for Allison. "Where's Ali?" He asked, glancing toward Daryl.
"Check the camper." Daryl said harshly, looking down toward the fire. His first thought was to not answer and just beat the shit out of him, but for once, he kept his temper in check.
Shane sighed, walking into camper. "Ali?" He knocked on the small bathroom door. "You in there?"
Allison jumped up quickly, composing herself. "I'll be out in just a second." She wiped her eyes with a small piece of toilet paper.
Shane leaned against the small stove, head in his hands. He looked up as he heard the door being shuffled open. "Hey, you alright?" He asked as she approached him. He took her face in his hands.
"Fine." She placed a hand over his, not looking up at him. She wondered what was going through his head.
Nothing had to be said between the two of them for him to know that she knew he was with Lori. Everyone in the camp knew, but no one said a word. He noticed her red and swollen eyes as he dropped his hands to his sides. "You wanna go to bed?"
"I'm gonna help the girls clean up. You go ahead. I'll be there soon." She said quietly, her tone soft and defeated.
He pressed a small kiss to her lips. "Soon, please?"
"Yeah, Shane.." Allison pulled away from him, walking back outside. She saw Daryl watching her as she stepped down off the steps of the camper. "You guys need help cleaning up?"
"Nah, we got it sweetheart." Jacqui gave her a small genuine small.
"Come and sit with me, girl." Daryl gave her a wide grin, patting his leg.
Allison laughed quietly. "You wish, Dixon."
"Yeah, yeah.. You know you want it." Daryl raised his middle finger, grinning when he earned another laugh from Allison. Knew one her better than he did. Even If no one else in the world knew she was hurting, he did.
"Are you sure you don't need my help?" She asked again.
"Andrea and I already took care of everything." Jacqui said, waving a hand to dismiss Allison.
"Alright.." She gave her a small smile, walking down towards the tents.
"Where you goin'?" Someone asked from behind her.
Allison turned around to see Merle making his way back to camp, shotgun over his shoulder. "What's it to ya?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"No need to get snippy." Merle rolled his eyes. "Go to bed, little girl."
"I'm workin' on it." She grinned in his direction.
"Where's Daryl?" He asked, spitting on the ground. Daryl and Merle were the same in so many ways, it astounded Allison.
"Up by the fire with the others." She pointed up the hill. "He'll be glad to know you're back."
" 'Course he would." Merle said gruffly.
"Night, hun." Allison gave him a small smile before heading down toward the tent. She unzipped it, lighting up the small lantern in the corner. She grabbed her bag, digging through until she felt the edges of the photographs buried at the bottom. She pulled out a stack of pictures held together by a long piece of twine. The photo on top was her favorite. It was one of her thrown over Daryl's shoulder in the middle of his mother's kitchen, both of them laughing. Things had been so simple back then; it was a time she wished she could return to.
Every time she looked through the pictures, the song Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow began to play in her head. She started to sing the lyrics under her breath, not able to stop herself from singing. "I put your picture away; I wonder where you've been. I can't look at you while I'm lying next to him!"
"I didn't know you could sing." Shane said from the entrance of the tent.
"Only a few people do.." She said gently, placing the pictures back in her bag.
"I didn't mean to interrupt.." Shane cleared his throat, laying down on her other side. "When did you learn?"
"I've always been able to." She leaned her head on his chest as he slid his arm around her waist. "When me, Daryl, Merle, and some of our other friends would go camping Daryl would play guitar and I would sing. Just old country songs. Even gospel songs from when we were kids."
"You grew up with them? How did you survive?" He sneered.
"Watch it." She warned. "You don't know them."
"I don't have to know them. You can already tell what kind of people they are." He frowned as she sat up.
"They're my family, Shane." She started to pull apart the braid in her hair.
"Yeah, okay." Shane held his hands up. "Excuse me."
"Stop it! Just stop." Allison stood up, grabbing her jeans off the floor of the tent.
"Stop what? Jesus H Christ, babe." Shane sat up. "Where the hell are you going?"
"I'm just going to stay with Daryl." She jerked her jeans quickly up her legs, grabbing her shoes at the entrance of the tent.
"Of course. What? You screwin' him too?" He laid back down, staring up at the top of the tent.
"If I was, it wouldn't be any of your damn business." She stormed out of the tent, leaving it open as she left.
"Everything okay?" Andrea asked upon seeing Allison.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" She asked irritably, walking into Daryl's tent.
"Well, hey there." The half-asleep man sat up from his sleeping bag as Allison unzipped the door. He sighed when he noticed how upset she was. "C'mon, darlin'. Lay down." He unzipped his large sleeping bag so she could scoot in beside him.
"Thanks." Allison said quietly, sliding off her jeans once again. She huddled in beside him, her face buried against his shoulder. She closed her chocolate brown eyes as Daryl wrapped his large arms around her. "Hey, Daryl.."
"Yeah?" He asked yawning.
"Do you ever wonder what everything would be like if we hadn't lost the baby?" It was a question they had both avoided for almost eight years now. It was part of the history they buried years ago.
"Of course I do." Daryl said, pushing her hair away from her face. "Don't think about it, Ali. Not now."
Allison nodded, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. She twisted and turned until she finally got comfortable.
"Damnit, girl.. Quit squirmin', will ya?" Daryl mumbled, his arm tightening around her waist. "Get some damn sleep." This feeling was something he could get used to. He missed the way they used to be, but at a crucial time like this, it wasn't the place to think about it. His main goal was to keep everyone in this camp alive and that's just what he planned to do.
